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C of I Newsletter

2013. 05. 24

headlines

The College of Idaho honors the Class of 2013

The College of Idaho celebrated the largest graduating class in its 122-year history last weekend as more than 200 new alumni walked across the Boone Hall steps during commencement exercises May 18.

Hundreds of friends and family members packed Morrison Quadrangle on a beautiful spring day to watch the graduates receive their diplomas from C of I President Marv Henberg. The crowd also heard remarks from senior speaker Eulalia Kafari and the Honorable Stephen S. Trott, who served as keynote speaker after Professor Alan Dershowitz was unable to travel to Caldwell due to illness.

Kafari, a history and political economy double-major, gave a humorous yet touching speech describing many of the challenges, triumphs and memorable experiences she and her classmates shared during their four years together on campus.

“A Coyote has the ability to adapt to any environment, just like a liberal arts education has taught us to do,” Kafari said. “Four years ago, we arrived at The College of Idaho not knowing what to expect. Fortunately, we were not alone in this journey. We had friends who pushed us when times got hard and parents who continued to believe in us, even when we didn’t.”

Trott, a senior judge for the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, encouraged the graduates to continue the tradition of self-rule and self-government outlined in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

“This school has done its best to help you gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to go forward in this challenging world,” Trott said. “To understand and protect who we are, to pursue and to protect the American dream, and to be a new greatest generation against all the challenges that we face.”

In closing, Kafari said the Class of 2013 would be remembered not for the high-profile accomplishments of a few, but for the contributions great and small made by each and every member.

“I know our class is a special one, and one that is bent on success,” Kafari said. “However, success is not measured because Elynn Smith and Daisy Ambriz find a cure for cancer. Success will not be Reinaldo Gil and Jenette Noe having an art show at the Tate Modern in London. Success will not be Hope Collins becoming a Supreme Court justice, or Mark Malmstrom being voted People magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive.’ No, we will be great because our class is contingent on each one of us having a helping hand in creating a better society for our future generations.”

Click here to watch Kafari’s speech in its entirety, or here to watch Trott’s remarks. The College has more than 300 commencement photos on Flickr, and professional photos of each graduate are available for purchase here.

Students bring smiles to India through Davis Project for Peace

Each year in India, thousands of babies are born with cleft lip and palate deformities – conditions that can lead not only to health and communication problems, but also to negative social stigmas.

This summer, two College of Idaho students from Asia are seeking to make a difference on their home continent through their Davis Project for Peace, “Bringing Smiles Where They Never Were: Combating Facial Deformities and Affixed Social Superstitions though Education.” C of I junior Rahul Sharma and sophomore Minh “Mark” Bui plan to use their $10,000 Davis grant to provide logistical support and upgrade services for Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity focused on eradicating lip and palate deformities. The project takes place during the month of June in the Assam state of India.

Bui, a political economy major from Vietnam, is excited to complete the Davis Project for Peace through Operation Smile, an organization he has volunteered for regularly over the past five years.

“Operation Smile has taught me a lot, so this is a huge opportunity for me to give back,” Bui said. “Palate deformities are a lot more common than people realize. The surgery is relatively cheap here in America, but for people in third-world countries, it’s a lot of money. And it’s a huge deal over there because deformities carry a social stigma, so these children aren’t able to integrate into society.”

Sharma and Bui plan to tackle their project in three phases. The first will focus on renovating Operation Smile’s pre- and post-operation rooms to allow for a better flow and experience for patients. Secondly, the students will help organize and train a team of volunteers to accompany patients during their procedures and educate the surrounding villages about facial deformities and dental hygiene. The final phase focuses on public education and will include visiting local schools, providing villagers with dental supply kits, distributing information about Operation Smile to local clinics, conducting surveys to find potential Operation Smile patients and educating the C of I campus upon returning to Caldwell.

Sharma, an art major from India, looks forward to making a difference for children in his homeland.

“Mark and I have been working with Operation Smile for a while, and it’s definitely a worthy cause,” Sharma said. “It’s great because fixing these deformities is a relatively small thing, but it instantly makes a huge difference for children who couldn’t even drink milk before. As [United World College] students, we are taught to be agents of change, and this is one way Mark and I have an opportunity to do that.”

The College of Idaho now has had a Davis Project for Peace funded in six consecutive years. Students previously completed projects in Malawi, Tanzania, Egypt, Ecuador and Brazil. To learn more about Davis Projects for Peace, visit www.davisprojectsforpeace.org. More information about Operation Smile also is available at www.operationsmile.org.

Women's track captures first-ever conference championship

The Coyotes celebrating their conference title. Photo courtesy of the Cascade Conference.

A dominating performance in all disciplines helped The College of Idaho women win their first-ever title at the Cascade Conference Track & Field Championships held May 10-11 at Klapstein Stadium in Gresham, Ore.

The victory – and the Coyotes’ outstanding 2013 season overall – helped C of I coach Pat McCurry earn Cascade Conference Coach of the Year honors.

Sibert had a monster meet at the CCC Championships, winning the heptathlon, the 100-meters and the 100 hurdles while finishing second in the 400 hurdles. She also anchored the Coyotes’ winning 4x100 relay team alongside Lexis Lange, Nichole DeGrange and Brittany Beame. Sibert was especially dominant in the 100 hurdles, crushing the field in 14.70 seconds to capture her third consecutive event title.

Holt was up to her usual winning ways, picking up victories in the 800 and 1,500 while teaming with Lange, DeGrange and Hannah Lentz to set a school record in the 4x400 relay, which won in 3:54.09. Holt, whose 1,500 conference title was her third in as many years, also placed second in the 400 while earning CCC Women’s Athlete of the Week honors.

Klopfenstein scored big points for the Coyotes while completing a grueling trio of distance events. The junior won the 3,000-meter steeplechase by 14 seconds in 11:01.68 while adding second-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000.

C of I senior Hailey Bull also won an individual title, winning her second career CCC triple jump championship with a leap of 36 feet, 7.75 inches. She added a third-place finish in the long jump.

On the men’s side, senior Greg Montgomery won his second consecutive championship in the 5,000 meters, while junior Austin Basterrechea added a long jump title to his earlier victory in the decathlon. Basterrechea also scored points in the high jump, pole vault, javelin and 4x400 relay, helping him earn Co-Field Athlete of the Meet honors.

This weekend, the Yotes are wrapping up their season at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Marion, Ind. Keep up with all the action at www.yoteathletics.com, and be sure to check out the results in the next edition of the C of I Newsletter.

C of I football counts down to 'Kickoff 2014'

Former College of Idaho quarterback Mo Brooks '66 is a Treasure Valley coaching legend.

The College of Idaho is home to a proud football legacy. Since the Coyotes played their first game in 1905, four players have gone on to the NFL and hundreds more have flourished in business, public service and life after football. The Coyotes return to the gridiron in fall 2014, when the team will play its first game in more than 30 years. As a new generation of student-athletes prepares to receive an outstanding education from Idaho’s only small-college football program, we look back and remember those who have gone before. Visit www.yoteathletics.com/kickoff2014 to see stories of yesterday’s heroes and find out how you can support the reinstated C of I football program. Go Yotes!

Elmore “Mo” Brooks ’66

During a high school coaching career that lasted more than three decades, Elmore “Mo” Brooks established himself as an Idaho coaching legend. Brooks led a pair of teams to state baseball championships at Meridian High School and built his legacy as one of the state’s top coaches, with the baseball field at Storey Park now carrying his name.

The former C of I quarterback credits his experiences at the College, both in the classroom and as a student-athlete, for providing the foundation of his success.

“I remember the collegiality and camaraderie of the players the most,” Brooks said. “From an academic perspective, the liberal arts gave me a whole different outlook.”

Brooks, who majored in psychology and history at the C of I, said he also took courses in subjects such as philosophy and religion that he never imagined he would take.

“Those courses opened my eyes to some things,” he said. “There were great professors who I was able to learn from.”

After Brooks graduated from the College in 1966, he was recruited to teach psychology at Homedale High School during the first year that psychology courses were offered in Idaho. The following year, he took a teaching position at Meridian and started a coaching career that would extend for 25 years in football and 33 years in baseball.

Brooks said his coaching philosophy was inspired by the individual attention C of I coaches were able to give student-athletes.

“[Coach] Babe Brown was like my second dad, he really took care of me,” Brooks said. “When my classmates and I got into the world of coaching, we had a strong commitment to taking care of our kids too and helping them take the next steps they needed to succeed.”

Brooks is excited that other high school football players from the Northwest will again play football at his alma mater starting in fall 2014.

“I’m so happy for the school and I’m so happy for the local kids who will have a chance to play football and attend The College of Idaho,” Brooks said. “The liberal arts at the C of I opens up so many new avenues, and that’s a real plus for the kids who will play football there.”

news

Hey C of I graduates! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out commencement photographs by Pete Grady. There are department photos, the Class of 2013 photo and personal shots of each graduate with his or her diploma. Click here to view and purchase your photos today!

C of I English professor and recently-appointed Boise Poet Laureate Diane Raptosh is featured in the latest issue of Treasure magazine, a quarterly publication of the Idaho Statesman. The article touches on Diane's Idaho roots, her teaching at the College, and the Treasure Valley's growing poetry scene.

The College of Idaho's 2013 commencement ceremony received some nice coverage in the Idaho Press-Tribune, which featured three local graduates and also posted a photo gallery.

The College of Idaho tennis team has signed Boise High senior Allie Boyd to a NAIA Letter of Intent, as reported by KBOI 2 News. Boyd, who recently won the 5A state championship in girls doubles alongside her sister Hailey, also will play soccer at the C of I.

C of I alumnus Neil Stutzman (’06) has been hired as the new girls basketball coach at Vallivue High School in Caldwell. Stutzman played basketball at the C of I for three years and spent two more as a graduate assistant coach with the Coyotes. Read more about his hiring in the Idaho Press-Tribune.

Dr. Don Zaroban, curator of fishes at The College of Idaho's Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, recently did an interview with Boise State Public Radio about his new book, Native Fishes of Idaho. Click here to read more about the book.

C of I alumnus Jay W. Hummel (’78) has been hired as the superintendent for the Ashland School Board in Ashland, Ore. Hummel, who earned a master’s degree in education at the C of I, has been the superintendent of the Kuna Joint School District since 2005. He also has served as an assistant superintendent, high school principal, counselor, coach and English teacher during his 35-year career in education. Read more about his hiring in the Medford Mail Tribune.